• I am amazed how happy a perfectly toasted piece of bread can make me. We got the toaster oven we registered for yesterday, immediately threw away our burning bread machine, and now can cook things as they should be. Evenly, not burnt and delish.
• We do not have salmonella infused eggs in my fridge. I checked.
• I really want to purge some stuff tonight. I just need to clean out my closet, bookshelves, etc…and get rid of some of the clutter that exists in my life. I’ve also been crafting in my living room, so I now have what is becoming a craft corner where it shouldn’t be. Guess its time to re-organize my ACTUAL crafting corner in the other room. Suggestions? I have an IKEA Expedit with a desk but cant seem to get it to where I like the organization. Your craft organizing tips are welcome.
• My dog has been waking us up at 3:30 am for either bathroom breaks or water needs, and while I understand that he is a dog, and thats what he does…it’s making for a very tired Lauren and Mick. I was up and outside at 3:00 am this morning while he did what he needed to. Kind of creepy outside to be honest. Mick actually woke up, realized I was gone, and came looking for me. Creeptastic.
• Is doing my best to become financially responsible. Ticketmaster, Livenation and Another Planet Entertainment are not assisting me with this process. I’m making the right choices and not buying the tickets, but seriously? How do they think that $42 for tickets to a concert, BEFORE fees is OK? All of these amazing bands that I wont see because its the cost of me going to a Broadway show. Call me bitter.
• Back to the kitchen thoughts, I dream of a day that I have a kitchen big enough where all my new appliances don’t have to sit in boxes until we use them.  I want counter space, I want an island, I want a functional space…not the closet we have in our apartment. I also just found THIS blog, and now I am wanting my own lovely kitchen even more.

For a hot minute I got pretty into my “numbers” on my blog. I was trying to be active everywhere I could be. I became a part of SITS, an active lady blogger community that has definitely brought me some readers. I was checking my analytics on a daily basis to see what posts brought the most readers, and who liked what. I mean…I’m not an all-star blogger. I think that on a good week, an average of 100 people visiting was awesome. Normally I’m somewhere in the 50-75 range, and thats when I write a few times a week. I definitely notice that when I don’t write, no one visits…and thats understandable.

I was feeling the pressure though. I was writing blogs that didnt mean anything. Entries just to write. Space holders. Sure, most of my entries are fluffy anyway…but thats what my blog is about, nothing. I guess they were fluffier for a while? Anyway, I’ve decided to stop caring. I don’t want to feel pressure to write. I love being an active part of a blogger community, but I don’t want to feel obligated to keep up with people. I want to do it on my own terms, and on my own time…and if my numbers start reflecting that…I’m OK with it. My Google Analytics has even been inactive for over a week, and I haven’t made any quick effort to fix it.

If I don’t write for a week…I’m not going to feel bad about it. If I write 3 a day, and don’t space them out through the week…I’m fine with that too. Getting things I need to get done…living my life without sharing every detail…thats what I want. Do you ever wish for the stone age? An age where technology didn’t rule, and people didn’t feel the need to share EVERYTHING? I feel lucky as a 30 something woman to have actually experienced life without the internet, blogs, cell phones, and that constant connection at all times. Do you think its weird that todays generations won’t ever experience that? There wasn’t a filter on what I could and couldn’t see at the library. People couldn’t reach me at all times. My life wasn’t out there for all to see. I didn’t even have a pager in high school like many of my friends did.

And yet I find it weird that people I know are un-searchable on the internet. I know people without facebook pages, and no Google search results. At times I wish I could go back to that. Just delete my presence offline. But then I’d feel so out of the loop that I’d just want to get back into it…because thats what is normal now. It’s what’s expected. Kind of wish it wasn’t.

Tangential as it may be….this post makes sense to me.

This past Saturday I went to a lovely wedding. It was my first of the year, and the first I’d been to since I started my own planning. I couldn’t stop looking at the details. There was no judgment on my end…just observing and checking out the decisions made. The wedding was very different than what I am planning. It was in a church. She walked down to “Here Comes the Bride,” and her dress was an adorable, just below the knee, 50′s looking thing. The biggest difference was that their wedding had 30 people in attendance.

It was actually pretty nice being a part of an intimate event. We felt honored to be the only “friends” guests that weren’t in the wedding party. We got to know the family. We got to “make” the party. The reception was held at a hotel in Half Moon Bay, buffet style, and they treated us with an open bar. Their DJ even told us that Denon & Doyle (our DJ) is his biggest competition. Guess we did something right!

Attending someone else’s wedding just got me even more excited for my own. I still want the details that I have planned, but do realize that the bigger picture is just being surrounded by the friends and family that you love. Hooray for love! A few pictures are below. I liked the way my Hipstamatic shots came out better, but you can see the whole set here.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”

Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl, 1952

Someone tweeted this today, and it really stuck out to me. I think that I’m a pretty positive person, but every once in a while I get in my pessimistic states. My “things aren’t going my way” moods. I saw this quote today and it really made me think. Every second of every day is a chance to start over…to recreate yourself into the type of person that you want to be and wish you could be. I know that the quote says “the world,” but I think that it accounts for people on an individual level as well.

Do something about it. Instead of walking over that piece of trash on the sidewalk, pick it up. Instead of complaining about the state of our animal shelters, volunteer one hour a week. Instead of worrying about your old age and weight, change your diet, start a daily walk, put money into a retirement account.  We have the power to change…you just have to actually get out there and do it.

No time like the present.

What inspires you?

Maybe I’m making excuses, maybe I just need to justify my actions, but honestly, sometimes I feel like someone is out to get me.

• A few months back I was gifted a bootcamp experience.  The day before I was going to do it, I got food poisining. I will take advantage of the next session…but have yet to go.

• I started doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. My XBox (aka my DVD player) broke. I have recently been informed that its on demand too, so Ill do that while waiting for a new DVD player.

• This weekend I am flying down to SD to participate in the Shamrock Run 5K with my sorority sisters (one of whom I’ve mentioned is Biggest Loser 9′s Stephanie Anderson). I have since come down with a chest cold, am out sick today, and will likely just be walking the 5K while hacking along the way.

My immediate goal…after I beat this chest issue, is to actually run a 5K…even if its just on a treadmill or if I successfully run around Lake Merritt. I think the distance is about 3.5 miles. I owe that to myself after not being able to run this weekend. My preparation for this will be continuing the Couch to 5K program that I have downloaded from iTunes. Its actually really great and I highly recommend it..I just hope I feel better, and start motivating myself to go. I did head to the gym during lunch the other day, which is a start in the right direction, but I had to get off the treadmill due to the cold getting the best of me.

I really just need to stop whining and blaming others. “I’d work out if I had a treadmill. I’d workout if I wasn’t sick. I’d work out for longer if I had the time”….I need to STOP making excuses, and just be my own motivator. You would think that watching and knowing someone on The Biggest Loser would be enough, but I think that my problem is that the 10 lbs I could lose is pocket change, and my real motivator needs to be my level of fitness…thats the part that takes work. Thats what I need to do. Stop talking about it. Just do it. (haha)

I can’t say that I found this on my own, as one of my co-workers directed me toward this link…but seriously, when can I start having kids just so I can buy them stuff like this? Would it be weird to just buy them for myself?

Uncommon Goods has some really quirky, fun items, and its a site I am definitely going to keep on my radar for gifts. I highly recommend browsing.

This one is my personal favorite. Wooly Willy was definitely a part of my childhood.

The site also has some really cool items for grownups too! How about this ramen spoon/fork?

Or this cool lap mug? Sounds totally perfect for me!

Introducing Leeloo Dallas Multipass. The newest addition to our family. She is a wee one at 6 weeks, and its going to take her some time to get acclimated. We are slowly introducing her to Brody and Gertie  (see photos below), and she is definitely the most squee worthy kitten I’ve seen in ages!!

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I want to start reviewing some of my favorite iPhone applications. I mean…I’m on it enough. where I think my opinions might matter a little.

During this whole wedding planning experience, I get a lot of epiphanies. A lot of those moments where I NEED to write something down immediately. With a lot of cruising the internet, trolling wedding blogs, and checking out DIY stuff, I have a lot of notes that need to be taken, and remembered to save for later.

A few friends of mine introduced me to Evernote…and this application has saved my life. It has a web portal so if I’m browsing and find something that I have to remember, I can add it online. The online portal also coincides with an application that you can download for the iPhone. I think that it exists for other smart phones..not sure, but I know it’s saved my life thus far. Having the ability to pull anything up when I want it is a life saver.

How do I make my own veil? How do I get to the specialty shop? What do I want for dinner and what do I need to buy at the store to make it? All of it saved on my Evernote. Then I can find all that on any computer or device I use.  It’s like a notepad….but one you never have to worry about losing. You can organize it, tag it, upload videos, images, documents…whatever.

I HIGHLY recommend this application. Its free. Just my two cents. I also had no one telling me to write this. I just thought I’d help you all help yourselves. This will be TMI..but the other day I was in the bathroom…and I had the BEST idea for a blog entry. Can’t remember it for the life of me…but it was deep. It was meaningful..and now I will have to wait for another bathroom epiphany and this time remember to USE my Evernote. Guess I need to start bringing my iPhone to the toilet.

Brody turns 5 tomorrow. Its weird to think that I’ve had him for 3 years now, and I’ve known him to be the boy in my life longer than Mick. Yes…this is a post about my dog’s birthday.

Its an arbitrary birthday date. When I got him from Wonder Dog rescue, 3 years ago tomorrow, Linda (the woman who runs the rescue) said he was 1.5 or 2. I made that day his 2nd birthday. It was the day before Easter Sunday, April 6. Now I always remember that its that time of year when the Easter Bunny and candy come out.

Since that day, I haven’t been lonely. Even when Mick is out of town…I always have a friend to cuddle with me on the couch. And cuddle he does. He keeps me warm at night, follows me around, and ALWAYS brings something to greet me at the door.

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Just browsing the web, and with the inspiration from Abby, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter with some found funnies. Even though I don’t celebrate it…who doesn’t love bunnies, chicks and good chocolate?